�Թϲ�����

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) wrote a series of letters on Wednesday asking major figures in the battle against the nation’s opioid epidemic to consider promoting and analyzing “partial fill” policies, which allow patients to receive less than a full prescription’s worth of medication on a single pharmacy trip. A clause in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, passed in 2016, permits pharmacies to dispense portions of prescriptions for Schedule II drugs — a classification that includes many opioid-based painkillers with high potential for abuse — and for patients to return later if they feel the remainder of prescribed medication is needed. (Facher, 9/6)

In promotional materials that were distributed to doctors, Vertical Pharmaceuticals omitted some rather important risk information about ConZip, an opioid painkiller, according to a warning letter the Food and Drug Administration issued late last month and posted on its web site earlier this month. Specifically, Vertical did not mention that the drug should only be prescribed when alternative treatments are ineffective or inadequate, and also failed to note the painkiller is not approved for use as an “as-needed analgesic.” These points are clearly noted in the prescribing information under a section called “limitations of use.” (Silverman, 9/6)

A legislative task force released its recommendations on combating Tennessee's opioid epidemic Wednesday, issuing nearly two dozen recommendations to address what one lawmaker said could be "a mass casualty event in Tennessee." The seven-member special task force was convened by House Speaker Beth Harwell in January to examine new approaches to pain pill addiction and its impact. (Wadhwani, 9/6)

A new evaluation of more than two dozen Ohio drug courts found that the only apparent result of giving participants medication for addiction was that some stayed in the court programs longer. ... Since 2013, lawmakers have sunk more than $33 million into introducing MATs into drug courts, including $1 million it paid Treatment Research Institute, of Philadelphia, for the most recent evaluation that looked at about 600 drug court participants in 13 counties. (Dissell, 9/6)

Arizona would limit all initial opioid prescriptions to five days for new patients under sweeping guidelines recommended Wednesday by Gov. Doug Ducey's administration. The plan also would limit maximum doses for pain medication, implement steps to taper down pain medications and require pain prescriptions to be filed electronically, rather than on paper, to limit diversion of drugs. (Alltucker, 9/6)